Bridgeport woman charged with murder in boyfriend's Thanksgiving Day shooting death

SAGINAW, MI — Rebecca I. Trevino will remain jailed without bond in connection with the Thanksgiving Day fatal shooting of her boyfriend, a former police reserve officer.

Trevino, 35, is charged with an open count of murder and two firearm felonies in the Nov. 27 homicide of James Gascoyne in Bridgeport Township.

Gascoyne, 43, died after he was shot about 9 a.m. inside Trevino's home at 2690 Ohio. Bridgeport Township police responded to the house about 9:20 a.m. and found Gascoyne inside the house suffering from a single gunshot wound.

Police on Thursday arrested Trevino in connection with the shooting, and prosecutors over the holiday weekend charged her with the open murder count. Open murder includes first-degree premeditated murder, which carries a mandatory penalty of life in prison without the possibility of parole, and second-degree murder, which carries a maximum of life with parole.

Eden Police are investigating a murder.(Photo: WFMY News 2)
On Saturday, police responded to a shooting at the Dollar General parking lot on Highway 770 in Eden. After they arrived they found 18-year-old, Darius Tyron Malloy Stoneville shot to death. Investigators said he was shot multiple times outside his truck.

Jamie Pigg pleads guilty to murder in shooting, bludgeoning death of his grandmother in Limestone County

ATHENS, Alabama - A Limestone County man pleaded guilty this morning to murdering his grandmother by bludgeoning her with a hammer and then shooting her in 2012. James Paul "Jamie" Pigg, 36, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, according to District Attorney Brian Jones.

An initial autopsy report showed Delaney died of blunt-force trauma to the head after being struck numerous times with a hammer but Limestone County District Attorney Brian Jones said a final report from the medical examiner showed the gunshot was the fatal wound.

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Authorities throughout north central West Virginia continued their search for a suspect in a shooting rampage that left four dead.

Search continues for suspect in quadruple-murder

Sharon Kay Berkshire was among four shooting victims on Monday in Monongalia County.

Sharon Kay Berkshire was among four shooting victims on Monday in Monongalia County.
The vicims were killed Monday morning at three locations in Monongalia County. Police identified the shooter as Jody Lee Hunt, 39, of Westover.

Hunt was still at large this afternoon. Police asked residents to be on the lookout for his 2011 Ford F-150 extended cab truck. There is a “Rough Country” sticker in the back window and a black Tonneau cover over the truck bed. The blacked-out license plate was unreadable.

Hunt was described as 5-foot-9, 165 pounds with green eyes.

The victims appear to have been targeted, police said. Hunt operated J and J Towing in Westover. One of the victims, Doug Brady, operated Doug’s Towing in Westover, where Brady was shot to death Monday morning.

Sharon Kay Berkshire, 39, of Westover, and Michael David Frum, 28, of Maidsville, were found dead in a home near Cheat Lake outside of Morgantown.

The shooting happened in the early morning hours of November 23rd. Davis was shot at a home on Georgetown Road and died a few hours later at the hospital.

After a week of investigation, detectives with the BCSO Criminal Investigations Division got a warrant for the arrest of Antonio George for 2nd Degree Murder.

Accompanied by family members, George turned himself into Bradley County authorities Monday morning. Sheriff Eric Watson commended the family for their peaceful and valuable assistance in placing George into custody.

Murder of Alabama boxer unsolved after 6 years: 'Every day is a challenge. Knowing the way he died,' mother says

Six years have passed since a well-known, promising amateur boxer was gunned down at a busy gas station on 15th Street.

Questions about who killed Arhmad Vaughan and why have haunted family members since the April 13, 2008, shooting.

Investigators believe that Vaughan was targeted. He was pumping gas just after 9 p.m. on a Sunday night when the gunman, wearing dark clothing, seemed to purposefully approach Vaughan before firing a gun and heading back toward 15th Street.

Hugh Johnson faces charges of attempted murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

A 64-year-old Melbourne man is charged with shooting a woman in the head during a domestic dispute Sunday at their Brothers Avenue home, Lt. Dan Lynch of the Melbourne police said.

Hugh Johnson was arrested by Melbourne police, and he faces charges of attempted first-degree murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. His criminal history dates to 1986, and he remains incarcerated at the Brevard County Jail Complex.

WILMER, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) – Dallas County sheriff’s deputies and police arrest a suspect that was at-large and accused of shooting and killing his girlfriend.
The shooting happened in the 600 block of Geller Road in Wilmer, at around 11:35 p.m. Saturday night.

The suspect is 28-year-old Rodney Keeton.
The victim was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Wilmer police began chasing the suspect a little after midnight until he jumped out of his vehicle and ran into a mobile home park near Edd Road and Highway 175.

St Louis teens accused of beating Bosnian immigrant to death with hammers in front of his wife

Zemir Begic, 32, was surrounded by a group of teens wielding hammers
The juveniles struck his car before Begic stepped out and was beaten
He suffered damage to his head, abdomen and face and was taken to St Louis University Hospital, where he later died.

Woman accidentally shot in the head by her 3-year-old boy, has died.
Tulsa police officials said 26-year-old Christa Engels was home with her 1-year-old and 3-year-old Monday night when the accident happened.

Officials believe she was changing her younger child’s diaper when the 3-year-old toddler fired the shot with a semi-automatic handgun.
"The grandmother came in and supposedly found the two children covered in blood," neighbor Vera Bennett told KOKI-TV.

Specialists who talked with the child confirmed the 3-year-old pulled the trigger.

"I just can’t imagine in today's society that there would be a gun a loaded gun where a toddler could get it," Bennett said.
Tulsa police said the woman's husband is a truck driver and was out of the state when the accident happened.

An entire neighborhood in west Harris County is shaken after learning a 4-year-old boy was accidentally shot and killed.

The deadly shooting happened inside the home on Cypress Arbor near Clay and Greenhouse. Sources with the Harris County Sheriff's Office said there were three kids inside the home at the time -- a 2-year-old, a 4-year-old and a 6-year-old.

Investigators are still trying to figure out who pulled the trigger, but somehow the 4-year-old boy was shot. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

KAYSVILLE — A 12-year-old girl who was accidentally shot and killed by a younger sister at their family's Kaysville home was remembered at a funeral service for her sense of gratitude and infectious smile.

Adelaide Clinger died on Nov. 23, just hours after she gave a talk about the importance of gratitude at her Mormon church.

The Deseret News reports (http://bit.ly/1vEf0mM ) Elizabeth Clinger told an overflow crowd Saturday that her daughter ended her church talk by thanking her family for "being amazing examples" to her.

DETROIT -
A 9-year-old boy is dead after accidentally shooting himself at a home on Detroit's west side, police said.

The shooting happened Saturday at a home in the 16000 block of Northlawn Street.

A neighbor said around 4:30 p.m. Saturday he saw a 10-year-old boy and 13-year-old girl run out the front door. The children had been home alone when the youngest found a gun and accidentally shot himself in the chest area, according to police.

The 9-year-old boy was rushed to Sinai-Grace Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said.

The boy's mother arrived at the home within a half hour of the shooting.

Neighbors said they often saw the boy walking his dog and that the family had recently moved to the area.

Detroit's police chief was troubled and visibly frustrated Saturday night. He mentioned this is the third incident in the past few weeks where a child has been hurt when they got access to a weapon.

A friend who was with Deon told police they were walking north in the 10400 block of South Bensley Avenue when a dark-colored van with four unknown occupants approached, according to a police report.

cComments
@imperialvicelord Educate yourself on a common birth defect called Cheiloschisis also known as a cleft palate/lip. The fathers birth defect had nothing to do with the death of his son.
ATKINS.LAYLA
AT 12:42 AM NOVEMBER 15, 2014
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The witness said when he and Deon heard one shot come from the car, they started running until Deon fell on the corner of East 104th Street and Bensley Avenue suffering from a gunshot wound to the right side of his abdomen, the report said. Nobody was in custody late Saturday.

Deon's mother, Ida Hall, 45, of the 8100 block of South Evans Avenue, said she rushed to Comer Children's Hospital, where her son was taken after the shooting. He was pronounced dead at 12:41 a.m. Saturday.

“Whoever did this to my little brother, guns ain't always the answer to everything, and he didn't deserve that,” she said. “He had his whole life ahead of him.

I was stunned to watch the news a little over a week ago of yet another senseless school shooting. These stories have become sadly routine, rarely holding the nation’s attention for more than a few minutes.

This time, three students were killed and another two were gravely wounded at a high school in Marysville, Washington. According to police, the .40-caliber handgun used by the shooter was purchased legally by one of the shooter’s relatives.

Ben Wheeler, one of too many children killed.

My son Ben will be six years old forever. Nearly two years ago, Ben was one of the victims of the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, where he was killed by a gunman inside his classroom.

He was a bright, energetic, loving, spirited boy who rushed headlong through life and found joy in everyone and everything.

Middletown police say man accidentally killed himself with gun he thought was empty

MIDDLETOWN, Ohio -- A man fatally shot himself in the head in Middletown over the weekend when he put what he thought was an empty gun to his temple and pulled the trigger, according to Middletown police.

St. Louis (CNN) -- A woman appears to have accidentally fatally shot herself in the head with a gun bought to prepare for possible Ferguson-related unrest, according to sources briefed on the police investigation.

The shooting occurred Friday night in downtown St. Louis, the city's Metropolitan Police Department said, in an area dominated by vacant lots beside a football stadium.

The female victim, identified in a police report as Becca Campbell, 26, was a passenger in a car involved in an auto accident. Her 33-year-old boyfriend was driving, the sources told CNN.

The boyfriend, who wasn't identified, told police that the couple had bought a gun because of fears of unrest related to the pending grand jury decision on the shooting of Michael Brown, the sources said.

He told investigators that as they drove late Friday night, the victim waved a gun, jokingly saying the couple were ready for Ferguson, the sources said.

He ducked to get out of the way of the gun and accidentally rear-ended another car. He said the accident caused the gun to go off and she was struck by a bullet in the head, the sources said.

The victim was rushed to a hospital but died.

The investigation is continuing because police want to be sure the story as told by the boyfriend is correct, the sources said. Police are awaiting gun trace results, as part of the ongoing investigation.

Smith County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a call about 4:45 p.m. Saturday, from the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office stating that they had received a 911 call regarding a man accidentally shooting himself at 31 West Shooting Range at 16934 Texas Highway 31 west.

The man, identified as Dooley by Tankersley, died at the scene.

Sheriff officials said the shooting death remains under investigation early this morning.

Tankersley said Dooley was a gun enthusiast who was proficient with guns, even restoring old Mosin rifles and then selling them.

“He has a lot of guns and just loved shooting. He was certainly not a novice and knew his way around guns,” he said. “He would go out to the range all the time and just shoot.”

(Reuters) - A New York City officer shot and killed an unarmed man in a dimly lit stairwell of a Brooklyn housing project, in what may have been an accidental discharge of his weapon, the police commissioner said on Friday.

Akai Gurley, 28, was shot once in the chest and killed at about 11:00 p.m. EST (1600 GMT) on Thursday, Commissioner Bill Bratton said at a news conference.

"What happened last night was a very unfortunate tragedy," Bratton said, adding that the deceased appeared to be "a total innocent," based on a preliminary investigation.

"It appears to be an accidental discharge with no intention to strike anybody at this time," Bratton said.

Whether the shot was fired accidentally or deliberately is of significance due to heightened sensitivities in New York and across the country over the use of excessive force by police officers.

A Burlington County mother shot her three kids in her bedroom before shooting herself, New Jersey State Police revealed Friday afternoon.
"We believe with fair confidence that we know who committed the shootings," Capt. Stephen Jones.

"The victims were the children of the mother that was shot," said Capt. Geoff Noble.

Noble characterized Jeaninne LePage as a suspect in the double homicide, attempted suicide inside a home on Holly Park Drive in Tabernacle, New Jersey Thursday morning.

Video: Boy with air gun was shot 2 seconds after Cleveland police arrived

By Jason Hanna, CNN
updated 4:52 PM EST, Thu November 27, 2014

(CNN) -- A Cleveland police officer shot 12-year-old Tamir Rice about two seconds after the officer and a partner pulled up in a car to investigate reports that someone was brandishing a gun at a park, surveillance video that police released Wednesday shows.

Tamir, who had what police said is an air gun that looked like a real firearm, died Sunday, a day after he was shot outside a recreation center.
Police also released two audio recordings Wednesday -- a 911 call preceding the shooting and a tape of a dispatcher asking officers to go to the park.
Video: Cop shoots boy holding toy gun 911 caller: Gun might be fake 12-year-old killed by cops over air gun

The shooting happened after a person called 911 to report that a black male -- "probably a juvenile" -- was pointing "a pistol" at people outside the recreation center. Twice the caller said the gun might be fake.

The dispatcher radioed to officers about a black male who was "pointing a gun at people," but did not mention that caller's belief that he could be a minor and that the gun might not be a real firearm, one of the released recordings shows.

Police previously said it wasn't clear if the responding officers received the information about the suspect's age or the gun possibly being fake.
Authorities are investigating the shooting, and the two officers -- identified Wednesday by police as Timothy Loehmann, 26, and Frank Garmback, 46 -- are on leave from their jobs.

Glendale father sentenced for fatally shooting son

Second son also injured in June shooting

MILWAUKEE —A Glendale man charged with shooting his sons has learned his sentence.

15-YEAR-OLD GLENDALE SHOOTING VICTIM RELEASED FROM HOSPITAL
Surviving victim in Glendale shooting says he forgives his dad
A 15-year-old Glendale boy police say was shot by his father is out of the hospital.
MORE
GLENDALE FATHER CHARGED WITH SHOOTING SONS

The man accused of shooting his two sons, killing one of them says his 15-year-old son was bullying him.

Robert Washington Sr., 57, was charged with reckless injury and reckless homicide in the shooting of his sons in June.

The judge sentenced him to 41 years in prison -- 32 years for the fatal shooting, and 9 years for the non-fatal shooting. The judge ruled the sentences are to be served consecutively.

According to the criminal complaint, Washington Sr. interrupted a basketball game involving his 15-year-old son. When the boy knocked him down, Washington allegedly said, "You do that again, you ain't gonna wake up."

The complaint said Washington Sr. then went into the house and returned with a gun, shooting the boy in the leg.

According to police, Robert Washington Jr., 20, was mowing the lawn and ran over when he heard the gunfire. He was struck in the chest and died.

EAST LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Two suspects were killed by Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies in East Los Angeles Sunday, and according to the family, one of suspects had been carrying a BB gun.

Authorities say an individual reported to deputies that a passenger in a nearby vehicle had pointed a handgun at him in the 1100 block of Atlantic Boulevard at about 2:20 a.m. Responding deputies located the vehicle and attempted a traffic stop.

That's when both suspects exited the vehicle at South Hillview Avenue and Verona Street. The passenger, identified as 26-year-old Eduardo Bermudez, was carrying what appeared to be a handgun, and four deputies fired several rounds, killing both men. The driver was identified only as a 57-year-old man.

Bermudez's family says he had been at a party for his 3-year-old nephew at a home near where the shooting took place earlier in the day. Deputies say the two suspects had been drinking at a party, and then stopped at a bar.

"It's just hard to imagine that from one day to another he's gone," said Alma Cabrera, Bermudez's cousin. "He was always a happy guy."

JOLIET – Prosecutors say lab tests showed Eric Glover Sr. once fired the same gun that was used to kill Velma Franklin.

Police say man found dead in Joliet shot multiple times
Glover evidence hearing will continue in two weeks
Decisions on evidence, dismissal in Joliet murder trial pushed to Wednesday
Ballistics, dismissal hearings scheduled for Tuesday in Joliet murder trial
Joliet man found fit to stand trial over murder of his mother
But defense lawyers argued since one of the bullets used to make the comparison was destroyed after testing, the results can’t be used in his murder trial. Glover Sr. appeared in court Monday before Judge Carla Alessio Policandriotes....

OKLAHOMA CITY —A man shot and killed his wife after drinking at the bar, according to court documents released Tuesday.

FAMILY MEMBERS DON'T THINK HUSBAND KILLED WIFE
Family members don t think husband killed wife
Oklahoma City police arrested a man who initially claimed he came home and found his wife dead.
MORE
MAN ARRESTED ON SUSPICION OF KILLING WIFE AFTER CLAIMING...

Oklahoma City police arrested a man who initially claimed he came home and found his wife dead.

A probable cause affidavit was filed in Oklahoma County Court on Tuesday that gave new details about a deadly Sunday morning shooting.

Related: Man arrested on suspicion of killing wife

The court documents show that Manuel Felix Quinones had been drinking at a bar and got into a fight. According the document, Quinones called his wife, Maria Molina, and asked her to retrieve a gun she had stored away from him.

I'm in CA, it sucks we can't carry. I won't lie though I do sometimes. It sucks having tons of musical gear late at night, in alleys etc loading up to go home. I don't put it on me but its in my car and i have it close by as I pack up.

I know lots of musicians who have been jacked for their stuff and a lot who you know, have some insurance. It's unfortunate people screw up and kill themselves, or that people use guns for crazy violent acts, but that will be of little solace as someone breaks into your house and you have no way to defend yourself. That is survival of the fittest and sucks for regular people who would then have to go hand to hand.

What do liberals want? what new regulation would fix the deaths? Only no guns right? sorry that isn't on the table anytime soon.

maybe someday both sides will look back at guns, and abortion, and think what the hell were we thinking. I hope so.

More people die of falls, accidental poisoning, and motor vehicle accidents then homicides with guns. So the accidental gun death problem is a joke. More kids drink poison. More people fall down and die.

So let's stop wasting our time. The only problem with guns is criminals use them.

Green Lake County -
An 18-year-old Green Lake man who is considered a suspect in a "thrill kill" case in Green Lake County is facing charges related to a police chase.

Cody Johnston is charged with Attempting to Flee or Elude an Officer, Obstructing an Officer, Criminal Damage to Property, according to a criminal complaint.

On November 29, a Department of Natural Resources warden received reports of gun shots heard northwest of Green Lake. Sheriff's deputies and the warden discovered seven dead whitetail deer within a three-mile area of the towns of Brooklyn and St. Marie, according to the DNR.

In one spot, a buck, doe and fawn were found dead in the same field. Officials say the killings "bear no resemblance to hunting."

That evening, wardens heard a number of gunshots. A sheriff's deputy attempted to stop Johnston's vehicle, which crashed in some marsh following a chase lasting 3.2 miles and reaching speeds of 90 miles per hour.

Man charged in Conway teen's death played with gun he believed was empty, police say

Posted: Dec 01, 2014 4:32 PM CST
Updated: Dec 01, 2014 7:56 PM CSTl

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. - A North Carolina man charged in the shooting death of a Conway teen girl thought a handgun was empty while he was playing with it in the Bass Pro Shops parking lot Saturday evening, according to a police report.

Zackary Dwayne Floyd, 20, of Fairmont, NC, was served a warrant for involuntary manslaughter in the shooting death of Rachel Nicole Lewis, age 17.

In an Horry County Police report released on Monday afternoon, Floyd told police he fired the 40 caliber handgun in the parking lot at 8 pm Saturday.

Floyd called 911 and told them "that he accidentally shot someone," according to the Horry County Police report.

“Subject stated that he thought the gun was empty when he dropped the clip and was just playing with the gun and when he pulled the trigger he noticed the victim's head fall,” police wrote after talking to him at the scene.

Related: Funeral planned for Conway teen shot at Bass Pro Shops

Inside a Chevrolet Tahoe, Rachel suffered a gunshot.

“Witness one who stated that the subject was playing with the gun and he dropped the clip from the gun and fired one shot toward the roof of the Tahoe. Witness one stated that was when she noticed the victim's head fall and hit the center console of the vehicle,” police wrote in the report.

White Cops File Suit, Claim They Are Punished Too Much For Shooting People

BY AMELIA ROSCH POSTED ON DECEMBER 1, 2014 AT 4:44 PM UPDATED: DECEMBER 2, 2014

Less than a week after twelve-year-old Tamir Rice was fatally shot by Cleveland police officers who thought Rice’s toy gun was real, nine other members of the Cleveland Police Department filed a lawsuit that accuses the department of discriminating against non-African American officers who used deadly force.

In the suit, the plantiffs claim that the department treated non-African American officers involved in the 2012 shooting of two African Americans “substantially harsher” than African American officers involved in the same incidents. The lawsuit deals with the aftermath of a deadly November 2012 car chase. During the car chase, 13 police officers fired over 130 shots at a Chevrolet Malibu. Both people in the car were shot over 20 times and killed. Neither had a weapon. During an investigation of the car chase, it came out that officers had omitted events in their statements, misidentified the suspects and did not specify that police officers had fired shots. Earlier in November, the city settled a lawsuit over the incident for $3 million.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (Reuters) - An Albuquerque police officer who shot and killed a 19-year-old woman in April was fired from the police force on Monday for failing to follow an order to turn on his uniform camera during all citizen contacts, police said.

The officer, Jeremy Dear, had been under scrutiny because his uniform camera was not turned on during the April 21 incident in which he shot a woman who was stopped on suspicion of vehicle theft after he said she pointed a gun at him.

Police Chief Gorden Eden said in a statement the officer was fired for "insubordination and untruthfulness" over the uniform camera issue after an internal probe, but stopped short of linking the firing to the circumstances of the shooting itself.

Dear has not been charged in the incident.

"Insubordination tears at the fabric of public safety especially when the officer makes a choice not to follow a lawful order,” Eden said in the statement.

"In imposing the discipline of termination, I considered the seriousness of the acts and omissions, aggravating circumstances and Officer Dear's disciplinary record," he said.

The firing comes as the Albuquerque police are undergoing reforms under an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice, after a federal investigation concluded that police had used a pattern of excessive force, sometimes with deadly consequences.

Police: W.Va. shooter was upset over ex's trystsJody Hunt identified as suspect in Monongalia County shootings

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. —A towing company owner killed his ex-girlfriend, two men she had romantic trysts with and the owner of a rival tow truck firm, police said Tuesday.

Three separate shootings in the Westover and Cheat Lake areas left four people dead Monday. West Virginia state police say they're seeking one suspect -- Jody Hunt -- in all the shootings.

MOTHER SAYS WV SHOOTER KILLED SON IN FRONT OF HER

4 dead following 3 shootings in W.Va.

Police believe Jody Hunt killed himself as officers searched for him in connection to four murders in the Morgantown-area.

The shooter, Jody Lee Hunt, killed himself inside a pickup truck in the woods after about a 12-hour manhunt Monday, State Police Lt. Michael Baylous and Monongalia County Sheriff Kenneth "Al" Kisner said during a radio interview on West Virginia MetroNews.

VIDEO: Watch Bob Hazen's report from Monongalia County

The shooting rampage started Monday morning when Hunt shot Doug Brady, who owned Doug's Towing, twice in the head while he was working at his business. Hunt had been upset because he said Brady was getting towing jobs illegally, Monongalia County commissioner Tom Bloom said. Hunt had attended county meetings over the last couple of months, speaking about towing problems, Bloom said.

After gunning down Brady, Hunt killed his ex-girlfriend Sharon Kay Berkshire, 39, and Michael David Frum, 28, before he went to another home and killed Jody Taylor, police said. Berkshire was romantically involved with Frum and Taylor, police said.

Officer wounded, man dead in shooting at NKY motelOfficer being treated at UCMC for "minor" wound

FLORENCE —A man is dead and an officer injured after a shooting a Florence motel.

Capt. Tom Grau said a Florence officer was at the room when a man pulled out a gun and opened fire. The officer returned fire, Grau said, but was injured, either by a bullet or while trying to avoid the gunfire.

ELKO, Nevada — An Elko police officer who shot and killed a man in a domestic dispute says he feared for the lives of two women when the man seized a rifle from one of them and pointed it at the officer.

The Elko County Sheriff's Office identified the victim Tuesday as 24-year-old Tabanico Pirtle of Elko.

Elko Police Chief Ben Reed says the Nevada Department of Public Safety is investigating the shooting. He says the initial case summary indicates one woman was on the ground and the other struggling with Pirtle for the rifle when the officer arrived about 6:30 a.m. Sunday.

The officer says Pirtle seized the gun, started to walk away, then turned and pointed it at him before the officer shot Pirtle in the arm, shoulder, back and lower abdomen.

According to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report, in 2013 there were 461 “justifiable homicides” by police — defined as “the killing of a felon by a law enforcement officer in the line of duty.” In all but three of these reported killings, officers used firearms.

Eugene Robinson writes a twice-a-week column on politics and culture, contributes to the PostPartisan blog, and hosts a weekly online chat with readers. In a three-decade career at The Post, Robinson has been city hall reporter, city editor, foreign correspondent in Buenos Aires and London, foreign editor, and assistant managing editor in charge of the paper’s Style section. View Archive
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The true number of fatal police shootings is surely much higher, however, because many law enforcement agencies do not report to the FBI database. Attempts by journalists to compile more complete data by collating local news reports have resulted in estimates as high as 1,000 police killings a year. There is no way to know how many victims, like Brown, were unarmed.

Another (Much Higher) Count Of Homicides By Police

Last week, we wrote about the fact that the U.S. government doesn’t track how many people are killed by the police. The FBI tracks “justifiable” police homicides, which it reports to be about 400 per year, but that tally is an undercount.

But one recent effort stood out for its apparent comprehensiveness: The Killed By Police Facebook page, which aggregates links to news articles on police-related killings and keeps a running tally on the number of victims. The creator of the page does not seek to determine whether police killings are justifiable; each post “merely documents the occurrence of a death.” He told FiveThirtyEight that he was an instructor on nonviolent physical-intervention techniques and that he prefers to remain anonymous.

Killed by Police had listed more than 1,450 deaths caused by law-enforcement officers since its launch, on May 1, 2013, through Sunday. That works out to about three per day, or 1,100 a year.

The page doesn’t claim that this is a comprehensive count, but it could be useful — like the count from the FBI’s annual Supplementary Homicide Report is useful — for setting a baseline number of police killings, as long as important caveats are acknowledged. For one, any database drawn from news sites relies on the assumption that the reports are accurate. If there is follow-up reporting that changes the initial understanding of the killing (for example, if it was later determined that a suspect committed suicide during a shoot-out with police), that follow-up wouldn’t necessarily be reflected in the Killed By Police tally. Finally — and most important — we can’t trust the Killed By Police numbers without checking the links.

We randomly sampled 146 incidents (10 percent) from the news links posted to Killed By Police. All the posts linked to established outlets, although in some cases a new url for the article had to be found because the news site had restructured its links. Here’s a breakdown of these incidents:

124 incidents (85 percent) were clear-cut police shootings in which the victims were fatally shot by officers acting in the line of duty. “Line of duty” doesn’t necessarily mean “justifiable,” but it’s an important distinction because it excludes some incidents, such as one in which an off-duty officer shot and killed a friend during a bar fight and was subsequently charged with criminal homicide. This count does include a few cases of off-duty officers using deadly force while acting in a law-enforcement capacity.

12 incidents (8 percent) were other cases of arrest-related deaths in which the victims died after being Tasered or otherwise restrained by law enforcement officers. These incidents are more complicated than shootings; the exact cause of death is harder to pin down. In some cases, a victim’s preexisting health issues are blamed.

10 incidents (7 percent) were killings by police officers acting outside the line of duty or accidental deaths. Examples include an officer who killed two women in a drunken-driving accident, a murder-suicide in which an officer killed his ex-wife, and a woman killed in a collision with a police SUV that was pursuing a suspect. These are all newsworthy deaths, but they aren’t examples of the use of deadly force by police officers in the line of duty. We wouldn’t necessarily expect a comprehensive governmental database of police killings to include them.